I have posted a picture on another web site which shows according to all diagrams I have, the south wall. It is the one which joins both buildings together and had the two wagons placed in it and indeed the point of the first Zulu attack. However I am informed by a local resident that this is in fact the East wall. He has supplied his own picture from Google earth which shows this to be the case. Any views would be welcome.

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Alan

Site Admin

Joined: 30 Aug 2005

Posts: 1373

Location: Wales

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:05 pm

Martin,
the wall shown on your Facebook site is the North-South wall with the camera at the South end. The wall would therefore be called the East wall when inside the enclosure. The map from Paul Lamberth is accurate with the green arrow pointing north.

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Wall orientation.

Martin Kidd

Joined: 29 Aug 2017

Posts: 7

Location: Surrey

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:46 pm

Thanks Alan,

Call me stupid ( and most people do ) but the direction North shown on maps appears different from others. I refer to Brave Mens Blood page 75. If I stood inside the enclosure and faced north according to the direction shown, it would put the wagon wall behind me in the south. The hospital would be in the west end and the redoubt in the east.

I fully accept your explanation but cannot understand that if north actually points more toward the redoubt how the wall can be considered the south wall which the Zulus first attacked. Or indeed how the opposite wall would not be considered the west wall.

I question this in good humour and am positive I am missing some point somewhere..

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Rusteze

Joined: 05 Oct 2009

Posts: 56

Location: Hampshire UK

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:32 pm

The wall that had the two wagons placed in it is the wall that faced South. It faces the Oskarberg from which the initial attack came. It joins the Hospital building in the West and the Commissariat Store in the East. It is made very clear in the sketch plan that accompanies Lt Chard's first report, in which the magnetic North orientation points towards the bottom of the sketch. It should be noted that the later sketch plans by Chard that accompany his report to Queen Victoria reverse that orientation. However, his excellent line drawing of the scene retains the original orientation looking south towards the Oskarberg

Steve

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Alan

Site Admin

Joined: 30 Aug 2005

Posts: 1373

Location: Wales

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:51 pm

This is Chard's early map. According to Google Earth, Chard's North is pointing a little more towards westwards,
he does say 'Approx Mag. N' making what is referred to as the south wall, (with the 2 wagons), running more like
towards NNE.
If it's called the south wall, at least everyone is on the same page.

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Rusteze

Joined: 05 Oct 2009

Posts: 56

Location: Hampshire UK

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:28 pm

We are indeed now on the same page! The sketch plan shown is one of three showing different stages of the defence of RD that accompanied the report to Queen Victoria (it is now in the Royal Archives). Chard's original sketch, orientated in the opposite direction, accompanied his earlier official report on the Defence of Rorke's Drift copied to Col. Hassard RE which he wrote on 25 January 1879 and which is now in the National Archives.